Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. [38] Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.
Matthew 26:36,38 KJV
The garden of Gethsemane is a significant location where events worthy of note for all believers took place. Here Jesus our high priest poured out His soul unto death. It was a place that gave us a unique insight into the humanity and vulnerability of Jesus. The Word Gethsemane means an oil press. It was named so since it was located at the foot of the Mount of Olives, where there would have been olive trees.
In Israel, the anointing oil was made with Olives and spices. Exodus 30:22-33 lists as many ingredients as were needed to create this holy oil. There was liquid myrrh, fragrant cinnamon, fragrant cassia, and fragrant calamus in specified quantities and each of these has spiritual significances that apply to us. However, all these were combined in pure olive oil that was gotten from crushed and battered olives. The olive was collected and then crushed in an oil press under intense heat and pressure where the chaff was separated from the oil. This pure oil, after it had been released was also used to keep the lampstand burning perpetually.
Jesus, upon going to Gethsemane knew that this was the path to His glorification. For this glorification, which involved getting the right to give eternal life to all flesh, receiving the name above all names, and having His bride, a people called by His name who He would inherit as His body, He endured the cross. In Gethsemane, Jesus cried and said ” Lord if it is your will let this cup pass over me”. Hebrews 5:7 said that in this time, Jesus cried with strong prayers and groaning to God who could save him from death, and He was heard. The fact that He was heard and still died, showed that Jesus was not praying to avoid physical death or scared of nails in His hands. He needed to die as a spotless lamb. This means that even a little thought of evil towards those who reviled Him would corrupt Him. If this happened, He would die as a sinner and would forsake the right to resurrect from the dead. As Hebrews 12:4 said, He resisted unto bloodshed striving against sin. In order to do this successfully, He had to pray! He had to trade His soul (Mind, emotions, will, and desires) for that of the Fathers. This was what was meant by Him pouring out His soul unto death. After this crushing, we see in Psalm 45 and 110 a unique insight into the glorification of Jesus. Here the oil was poured on Him as King and High priest and Psalm 133 showed prophetically that this oil flowed to His body. This oil is the Holy Spirit shown in Zechariah 4:1-6, which could not be released until Jesus was glorified as John 7:39 and this was fulfilled in Acts 2 on the day of Pentecost.
How does this relate to us?
Gethsemane is a necessary call to all who will be glorified and sit on the throne with Christ. A time will come where we will all strive to the pouring out of our souls resisting sin also and some will seal their testimony with blood. Peter was also invited into Gethsemane, fighting for his soul as well. Satan had sought to sift him as wheat. Jesus told them to pray because it was in prayer that they could trade their soul (mind, desires, emotions, and will) for the Fathers and successfully go through this trial. However, Peters’s lack of prayer was his downfall. Not even the revelation of seeing Jesus on the mount of transfiguration, walking on water, and his resolve to never leave Jesus could save him. Why? Because although His spirit was willing, the flesh was weak. Gethsemane was a place where the chaff, the flesh was broken that the life of the Spirit could take over.
Final thoughts: We are coming to a time in history where Jesus said Many will be offended and turn aside and betray one another. It is a time of intense darkness, where the love of many will wax cold. It is a time where scarcely any will be saved, but they that know their God, having communed with Him intimately, will be strong and do exploits. It is a time where even the wise will sleep as seen in Matthew 25:1-13. However, some will not sleep, those in the midnight who will wake the sleeping wise virgins. These have learned the way of prayer and would have, through much groaning and fear, prayed to Him who can save their soul from spiritual death and laxity and they will be heard because they have no confidence in the flesh, because they fear God.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I come to you and recognize that my flesh is weak. Lord, I realize that if left on my own, I cannot successfully lay down my life to take on yours. So I come to you in prayer today that I may trade my will, emotions, desires and mind for yours. You said that men need to pray and not faint. In thsi fight for my life, in light of the Glory You have promised me, help me to pray without ceasing that I may endure the trails of my faith and obtain a crown.
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